Elm Drive showing his stretch in a work in late summer. (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
+ Newgrange ‘Leaning’ Towards Pegasus After Saturday Work
+ Single Winning Pick 6 Ticket Friday Returns $75k
+ Trainer Puype Gets Off The Mark With 2 Winners Friday
+ Special Holiday Card Monday Includes $1 Beer And Soda
Santa Anita Stable Notes By Victor Ryan
Trainer Phil D’Amato, who won his second GIII Las Cienegas last year with Amy C, will have four chances Sunday to go back-to-back in the hillside turf stakes for fillies and mares.
D’Amato’s quartet is led by 5-2 morning-line favorite Elm Drive. She will be joined by Honey Pants (6-1), longshot Benedict Canyon (15-1) and Adaay in Asia (6-1), a recent arrival to the D’Amato barn after previously being with eastern-based trainer Christophe Clement.
Adaay in Asia began her career in England and last season was 0-for-5 in the U.S. for Clement. The 5-year-old mare by Adaay was on the also-eligible list but drew into the race Saturday with the early withdrawal of Free and Humble by trainer Peter Miller.
“She is an excellent training filly. I’ll know more about her after I run her,” D’Amato said.
Adaay in Asia is owned by Reeves Thoroughbreds and My Racehorse. In her last start for Clement on Oct. 21 at Keeneland, Adaay in Asia finished fourth in a classified allowance going a mile on turf.
“I think the owners are banking on her being better on firmer turf and at extended sprint distances. This race checks all those boxes,” D’Amato added.
The versatile Elm Drive, a stakes winner on both dirt and turf, has proven an affinity for the hillside turf course. She won the Mizdirection Stakes here in May and two starts back on Nov. 3 was beaten just a head in the Sen. Ken Maddy down the hill.
On Dec. 3, Elm Drive was beaten three lengths in the one-mile GI Matriarch at Del Mar.
“I thought it was a credible effort,” D’Amato said of the Matriarch. “That was one of the stronger Matriarch’s we’ve seen in a while. She looked at the top of the lane like she could finish in the top three, but kind of faded a bit. She didn’t disgrace herself.
A 5-year-old Mohaymen mare, Elm Drive has won at least one stakes in all three seasons she’s raced. Her record is 15-5-1-3 with $516,640 in earnings for Little Red Feather.
Honey Pants is seeking her first stakes victory. The 6-year-old Cairo Prince mare, who also started her career with Clement, was second to Elm Drive in the Mizdirection last spring in her first start for D’Amato. Most recently, Honey Pants was fifth in the five-furlong Stormy Liberal on turf Dec. 2 at Del Mar.
“She’s doing really well,” D’Amato said. “I think this is an ideal distance for her. Those five, 5 ½ furlong turf sprints are short for her late run. The 6 ½ should be right up her alley.”
Benedict Canyon also exits the Sen. Ken Maddy. After breaking slow and being second-last early under Frankie Dettori, the 5-year-old Midnight Lute mare came on late to be beaten 4 ½ lengths. In the Las Cienegas, Antonio Fresu takes over in the irons and Dettori moves to Honey Pants.
“I think she needs to be up closer than she was in the Ken Maddy,” D’Amato said of Benedict Canyon. “I think she ran deceptively good. She galloped out in front of everybody.
Prior to the Sen. Ken Maddy, Benedict Canyon won a six-furlong turf allowance with Fresu up here Oct. 6.
“Fresu is the last guy to win on her. She’ll be in a more tactical spot Sunday,” D’Amato said.
The chief rival to the D’Amato foursome looks to be 3-1 second choice Wakanaka, who will be making her first start for trainer Michael McCarthy. The 6-year-old Power mare was a Grade II winner on turf while with previous trainer Bill Mott.
The Las Cienegas goes as the seventh race on Sunday’s nine-race card. Post time is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. PT.
The Las Cienegas field
1 Free and Humble, Santiago Gonzalez (SCR)2 Honey Pants, Frankie Dettori (6-1)
3 Nadette, Hector Berrios (5-1)
4 Fast and Shiny, Drayden Van Dyke (15-1)
5 Kissed by Fire, Mike Smith (8-1)
6 Lexington Humor, Armando Ayuso (30-1)
7 Wakanaka, Joel Rosario (3-1)
8 Benedict Canyon, Antonio Fresu (12-1)
9 Elm Drive, Flavien Prat (5-2)
10 Anthonys Cleopatra, Frank Alvarado (20-1)
11 Gracelund Gray, Juan Hernandez (8-1)
12 Adaay in Asia, Kazushi Kimura (6-1)
Newgrange, National Treasure Lead Saturday’s Work Tab
Top Santa Anita older horses National Treasure and Newgrange each worked Saturday towards potential starts in the GI, $3 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park Jan. 27.
National Treasure, the 2023 Preakness winner who is slotted to run in the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus for Bob Baffert, worked five furlongs in 59.60 seconds. It was the fastest of 44 works at the distance.
Newgrange, winner of the GII San Antonio on opening day of the Classic Meet here Dec. 26, worked a half mile in 48.0 seconds for trainer Phil D’Amato.
Newgrange is possible to run in either the Pegasus or GII San Pasqual also at 1 1/8 miles here on the same day. After the work, D’Amato said the Pegasus is now the more likely spot.
“He went really well. We’re still kind of weighing our options, but I’d say we’re tentatively leaning towards the Pegasus,” he said.
Single Winning Pick 6 Ticket Friday Returns $75k
The $1 Pick 6 Friday returned a cool $75,625.20 to a single winning ticket. According to Santa Anita officials, the ticket was purchased for $150 through FanDuel.
The winners of Friday’s Pick 6 sequence beginning in race four were Crimson Rose ($4.40), Tapalo ($3), Running Tiger ($26.60), Ruff Ride ($23.60), Rodrigoknows ($10.80) and Johnny Drama ($15.40).
In addition to the single 6-for-6 payout, there were 61 consolation tickets with five winners each that each returned $530.80.
Saturday’s Pick 6 begins with the fourth race at approximately 2 p.m. PT.
FINISH LINES____________________
Trainer Mike Puype saddled his first two winners of the Classic Meet Friday. The 57-year-old conditioner scored in the second race with Fifty Cinco ($5) and fourth race with recent claim Crimson Rose ($4.40)…
Jockey Santiago Gonzalez had his first win of the Classic Meet Friday with Running Tiger ($26.60) in the sixth race for trainer Jorge Periban…
Equine scout Larry Zap will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Sunday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 11:20 a.m. …
Santa Anita will host a special Martin Luther King Jr. holiday card Monday. On-track fans will receive $1 beers and sodas and $2 hot dogs.
